An OhSoSummer Thing To Do

What is an OhSoSummer kind of thing to do? Well...have a YARD SALE of course!

This past week I have been helping my friend get organized for a yard sale. I believe that Summer is the perfect time to do this. You can make extra money and get rid of the junk that you've "been meaning to get rid of for years". Remember, You're Junk is another person's Treasure! 

Here are some tips and reminders for having a yard sale:

• It may be a lot of work, but in the end it is worth it!
• If you don't want to organize it all by yourself, get some friends involved and split your profits (they can bring items they want to get rid of too!)
• Have some snacks and refreshments sitting out for your buyers. It will hydrate them during the hot summer day and they will probably look around longer (and hopefully buy more stuff :D)
• Make sure to Advertise! You can make posters and signs, advertise in the newspaper, and/or advertise online (craigslit.org could be a place to start). 
• Check with your city to see if they require you to get a permit (I heard on the news about children getting fined for having a lemonade sale and I don't want that to happen to you.)
• Be ready an hour before your yard sale starts, because there usually are a few early birds. 
• When deciding prices think if you would buy that item for that price. 
• HAVE FUN! 

I am excited for the yard sale that I have been organizing to happen! I hope that you decide to have one too. Remember, don't make it stressful and just have fun with it! Think of how organized your house will be afterward and all the space you will have for new things!!

Please comment below! I would love to hear your thoughts. Have you had a yard sale before? Have you been thinking about having one? Let me know :)

OhSoFruity

This post isn't the only thing I'm thinking about today that is short and sweet and ohsojuicy, because, today I am thinking about...CHERRIES! Lately, I have been hooked on fruit and one of my favorites is cherries. I love how they are sweet and juicy and taste oh sooo good. I have been cutting the cherries in half, taking out the pit, and putting them in a bowl with greek yogurt, granola, a tiny bit of honey, and a couple other choices of fruit. I am in LOVE with eating this for breakfast or lunch (or a smaller portion as a snack). Perfect for summer! The total combination of everything in the bowl ends up being about 8 oz and is a perfect portion.

I knew that cherries were healthy, but I didn't know all the facts, so I decided to look them up. Here are a few things that I found out:

• Cherries are very high in antioxidants
• Cherries contain melatonin that help with your sleep patterns
• Cherries can alleviate pain

Below I am going to add a link for you to check out the website where I found out these ohsohealthy facts.

Do you love cherries? If so how do you eat them? By themselves? In greek yogurt? Let me in on all your OhSoFruity secrets! Please comment below :)

-Allison*


Link:
Cherry Nutrition Facts

OhSoCollege Dorm Items

Today I went shopping for my dorm room and can't wait for the day that I move in and set up! I love planning on being organized and trying to picture what my room will look like. Every year at the beginning of school I buy a bunch of binders and organizers and say, "I plan on being super organized this year", but unfortunately ever year after about four weeks into school I fall through. Well this year this is DEFINITELY going to END!! I refuse to fall into my usual 4th-week-slump. I am a college girl now, embracing this new, ORGANIZED lifestyle.

One of the stores I shopped at today was The Container Store. I am literally in love with that store. I could just walk around for hours and day dream about how organized I am going to be (which is actually what I did today). But what was special about today was that I didn't just day dream, I helped make the dream come true, meaning...I BOUGHT stuff!!

I am really happy with all of my purchases, but one of my favorites is the Bloom 3-Drawer Cart. It is perfect because it gives me more storage space, maybe to keep school supplies, snacks, or clothes...I can't decide yet, but the possibilities are endless! Also, it will look super cute sitting in my dorm (hopefully I'll get some complements..I'll let you know :D)

The point of this post was to share my excitement about organizing my dorm..and my life, but I would also love to hear from you. For those of you in or going to college or that have a house, apartment, or room (so hopefully everybody!), what items have you bought that you LOVE? For those of you who just want to get organized, please share your thoughts with me? AND for those of you that have mastered the oh so wonderful skill of "being organized", PLEASE SHARE YOUR SECRETS!!! Anyways, comment below :)


-Allison*


Links:
The Container Store Bloom 3-Drawer Cart

OhSoCollege Must Haves!

Hi everyone! Sorry that I haven't written anything for two days. What has gotten into me?!?
Anyways, as you know, I have been titling posts "OhSoCollege Must Haves!" So far they have been items that I already own. Well, today I've decided that I will let you in on an OhSoCollege Must Have that I feel I truly  MUST HAVE! I don't exactly have it yet, but believe me, the day I walk in to my first class it will be my main accessory! What is it? Well, I'm glad you asked! It is a... Satchel/Messenger Bag!!

Why you ask? Why a satchel/messenger bag? (Thank you for another marvelous question. :D) Well, first of all I need a way to carry my notebooks and/or laptop to and from class. I will be bringing a backpack to college also, but I used a backpack all through high school and I believe that I need a more "grown up" way of carrying my things. I mean some of my classes are in downtown Chicago, and I want to look "cute" and "mature" while strolling down Michigan Ave. between classes.

I have been looking up prices online and it was really hard for me to find decent prices. Many of the bags are in the $100-$300 range, which as a soon to be college student I refuse to pay. I mean come on I'm trying to be thrifty here! But I did find a couple that I LOVE for pretty decent prices. (I'm planning on using this bag almost every day!)

Above is a "Pieces Drea Satchel Bag" that I found on asos.com. I love asos, but I am not going to get into that right now because I plan on writing about that wonderful website very very soon! Ok, so this satchel bag is 100 % faux leather, which is the type of bag that I have been looking for. It is $55.16, still a little more than I wanted, but I believe that it is worth it. I would be getting a lot of use out of it. I feel that it is a sophisticated look, perfect for Chicago :)

Below is a camel colored satchel/messenger bag. It is an ALDO Mudd style bag. This adorable bag is $60.00, so again a little more than I want to spend, but exactly what I am looking for. 

I have not decide between the two yet and I am still researching for more options. A messenger/satchel bag has been on my OhSoCollege Must Have List for a while. I would LOVE to hear what you think about these bags and about what is on your College or Life Must Have List. I believe that this bag is perfect for many occasions, but right now all I can think about is college :D Please comment below! 


-Allison*

Links: 

asos

ALDO 

OhSoFriendly

I have named this post OhSoFriendly and by "Friendly", I mean Eco-Friendly!

Yesterday I told you how I love Kathie Lee and Hoda, well another duo that I admire is Elle and Blair Fowler. Today Blair put up a video about being Environmentally Friendly and she inspired me to do a blog post about it :) I am planning on having many OhSoFriendly posts that will each focus on one main topic. (Thank you Blair for the inspiration!)

Today's topic will be: Water Bottles!
Did you know that...

• only 1 in 5 water bottles are recycled? Yes, the rest end up in landfills :(
• it takes 700 years for plastic bottles to begin composting
• 90% of the cost of a plastic water bottle is due to the bottle itself
• 167 water bottles are consumed by the average american each year

Above are a few Not-So-Fun Facts. They reveal that water bottles are a big part of pollution and if each person decided to stop buying disposable plastic water bottles, just Imagine the positive changes that can be made!!

Ok so I have decided that this post relates to both my OhSoSummer and OhSoCollege topics, because starting now I will no longer be using disposable plastic water bottles! Who's ready to make a change with me? This will relate to the rest of my summer, college, and hopefully the rest of my life :D When I am on the go I am now going to fill up a REUSABLE BOTTLE! I hope that you do this too. I had decided to do this a couple of months ago, but didn't stick to it 100%. At the beginning it might be hard to break old habits, but don't be discouraged. Just think every time you don't buy that plastic water bottle, YOU are making a difference. 


In Blair's video she spoke about the Water Bobble. It is a reusable bottle that also filters the water while you drink it. This means that you can use tap water and feel safe about doing so. I have looked up this bottles online and seen them in stores for $10-$12. Looking back on my last two not-so-fun facts you will see that it is worth spending these $10-$12. You doing this will help you save money and the environment at the same time. Oh and don't forget you will also look super cute!

Below I am going to post some links that I used to help me write this post. I hope that after reading this you will try and make a positive change. I would LOVE for you to leave comments about water bottles and other ways that you are or plan to be eco-friendly :)


-Allison*


Links:
Blair Fowler's Eco-Friendly Video
About Water Bottles
Water Bobble

OhSoSummer Tan

For those of you who have been waiting for another summer related post, it is your Sunny Day!

Alright, so here is a fun fact about myself: I LOVE watching Kathie Lee and Hoda on the Today show! If I'm not able to watch them that day, I always have them recorded. I think they are so funny and interesting! I love watching them and how they interact with each other and their guests and Blah Blah Blah! ( I feel like if I don't stop now I will ramble on about how much I adore their segment for hours and hours :D) Ok, so back to the point of my OhSoSummer post. On Mondays, Kathie Lee and Hoda each bring in one of their "favorite things". This past monday Kathie Lee brought in The Body Shop Honey Bronze Shimmering Dry Oil! She said that her daughter loves it and now she uses it! Kathie Lee and Hoda both used it and it worked great on both of them. It is best for All Skin Tones!! It is said to give you a honey-bronze glow and a non-greasy finish.

Ok so I haven't bought this product yet, but am planning on it sometime this week. So...this is sort of a "Before" post and then I will write an "After" post once I have bought and used it. It is $14, so a little more than I would like to spend, but hopefully it is worth it! I am trusting Kathie Lee :) If it works I will be ecstatic, because I will use it in Chicago when I become super pale. Also fun fact: I just checked The Body Shop website and it is temporarily out of stock. This sounds like good news to me! There must be a bunch of people who love it :)) I guess I will be heading out to The Body Shop store this week!

Let me know if you have tried this product or have other tanning products that you swear by.

-Allison *


P.S. Here are a few links :)
Kathie Lee and Hoda's Favorite Things
The Body Shop

OhSoCollege Must Haves!

More OhSoCollege Must Haves!!

Here is another item, well actually a set of items that I will be bringing with me to college: Emily Giffin Books!! I love them! So far I have read something borrowed and something blue and am now on the third book, baby proof. Im not a huge reader, but there are times when I decide to pick up a book and then will read five more back to back. Before Emily Giffin books I was addicted to Nicholas Sparks books. When I read something borrowed and something blue I couldn't put them down. I remember when I finished something borrowed, I drove to 2 different bookstores within 30 minutes of finishing it to find something blue. I am addicted to romance and romantic novels, so if you are a sappy gal (or guy) who loves love as much as I do then you MUST read these books! I am happy to know that I have 3 more books of hers left to read, so they will definitely be sitting in my dorm room! Maybe I'll even read them all over again!

Something borrowed was made into a movie (if you don't already know) and was in theaters in May. The cast included Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin, Colin Egglesfield, John Krasinksi and other great actors. I loved the movie just as much as the book. Also after the credits there was a scene that revealed to us that there would be a sequel, which is something blue! I am soooooo excited!!!

Here are Emily Giffin's other books that will be stuffed in my suitcase when I depart for Chicago:

 I hope that those of you who haven't read them give them a chance! You will LOVE them :) Also I would love to hear what your favorite books are, especially romantic novels!

 

-Allison *